The Rise of the Black Nerd

The pop culture dominance of people likeÂ musicianÂ Questlove, cable news anchor Melissa Harris-Perry and comedian Donald Glover is proof that the black nerd is finally cool, according to Tampa Bay Times writer Eric Deggans anyway.

Deggans says the ultimate example of the coolness of black nerds is President Barack Obama who is regularly spoofed on another show full of nerdy black goodness, Key and Peele. If you have not seen their Angry Obama skits, please rectify that immediately. It is one of the funniest segments on television right now. It’s also very NSFW, so be warned.

Fellow black nerd W. Kamau Bell has a political humor show called Totally Biasedon FX. Recently, Bell was included in a Facebook group for “blerds” (black nerds).

“Anything that promotes alternative black thought in America is a wonderful thing and people are often better able to understand something when there’s a cute name for it. So, okay, I accept that,” Bell told Deggan.